Building-brick



'PATENT Errea.

GEORGE S. BALSLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.`

BUILDING-BRICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,462, dated February 19, 1895. Application iiled October 20, 1894. Serial No, 526,470- (NO model- To all whom. it may concern.-

I 3e it known that I, GEORGE S. BALsLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detro1t, in the countyrot' Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefull Improvements in Building-Bricks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This'invention relates to an improved building material for hollow walls andconsists in the peculiar construction of building bricks adapted to be used in building hollow walls,

whereby a saving in brick is effected with an increase of strength, all as more fully hereinafter described.

.In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a hollow wall embodying bricks of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly different arrangement of bricks. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the various shapes and sizes of bricks which I employ, and Fig. 4 is a cross section on line ac- Fig. 3.

A are bricks of standard dimensions, that is the width of a brick is onehalf that of its length as in the ordinary size which is eight inches by four inches so that if a brick is divided as shown by the dotted line c in Fig. 3, the two halves are both like squares.

The upper side of each brick centrally of the squares is provided with pyramidal frustuni shaped projections or lugs B, having rounded edges as shown. On the bottom side and directly beneath these lugs, are similarly shaped sockets or depressions B slightly larger than the lugs.

C are bonding bricks integrally formed of two square end sections e f having central prog ections on top and depressions on the bottom as described for the standard brick with an additional intervening bridge section D of a length corresponding to the hollow space desired in the Wall.

E are half bricks corresponding in. shape and construction to one half the brick A. f

To construct a hollow wall, I lay with the bricks A the usual number of courses F, G of stretchers separated the desired distance apart to form the hollow wall, and then whenever a bonding course is required I use the bricks C as. headers alternately with the half bricks E as shown in Fig. 1 or by using Y the bricks O in pairs as headers alternately with bricks A as stretcliers as shown in Fig. 2. In this manner the bricks will interlock, and the joints will be broken while at the same time the continuity offthe air space is obtained through the entire wall.

The interlocking portions serve as a guide in laying the bricks and by tying the bricks to-y gether naturally strengthen the wall, but in connection with this invention, they have the two fold purpose, first to compel the workman to use the bonding brick'for the headers, as without their use he could not build the wall with the bricks A alone and second to compel him to dip his bricks into the cement or inortar before laying instead of spreading the mortar with his trowel upon the laid bricks, this latter practice leading invariably to the choking up of the air-space by the surplus mortar no matter how careful the workmen :are and nothing but the physical impossibility will compel the workman to resort to dipping.

This construction of bricks enables me to build a hollow bonded Wall ten inches thick with a two inch air space, while the' building of a hollow wall with standard bricks'alone requires that it be at least fourteen inches thick, one wallbeing eight inches, and the' other four inches, and in such constructions the bonding bricks can overlap at one end but two inches, which detractsfrom its strength.

Thus in building such a wall, I not only save four inches in space, but also save four inches of solid brick work, and produce a ten inch wall of at least the sameA strength as a fourteen inch standard brick wall.

What I claimas my invention is- 1. In a hollow Wall, the combination of standard bricks having interlocking projections and recesses on top and. bottom respectively, and bonding bricks of a length greater than the lengthof the standard bricks having end portions corresponding to the halves of the standard bricks with an intermediate portion between the end portions, substantially 'as described. v

2. In ahollow wall, the combination of three sizes of manufactured brick, one of standard size,one half length standard size, and one IOO of increased length beyond the standard size, and adapted to form a bonding brick, said bricks having pyramidal projections `amd corresponding recesses providedon top and bottom respectively, whereby the bricks are adapted to interlock, substantially in the Inanner and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof .I ax `my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. BALSLEY.

WVitnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, L. J. WHITTEMORE. 

